The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-11-17

SPRINGFIELD, H., Nov. 10.-The
followingis the Governors decision in
full in the anarchist case:
STATE OF ILLINOIS.
EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
SPRINGFIELD, Nov. 10, 1887.
On the Goth of August, 1885, in the
Cook county criminal court, August
Spies, Albert r. Parsons, Samuel
Fielden, Michael Schwab, AdOlph
Fischer, George Engel and Louis
Lingg were found guilty by the verdict
of the jury, and afterwards sentenced
to be hanged for the murder of Ma
thias j. began. An appeal was taken
from such finding and sentence to the
supreme court of the state. That
court, upon a final hearing and after
mature elaboration, unanimously af-
firmed the judgment of the court be
low. The case now comes before me
by petition OF the defendants
for consideration as Governor
of the state. If the letters
of Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer,
George Engel and Louis Lingg, de-
handing unconditional release or, as
they express it, Liberty or Death,
and protesting in the strongest Ian
guage against mercy or communication
of the sentence pronounced against
them, can be called petitions. pardon,
could it be granted, which might i'm
ply any guilt whatever on the part of
any of them, would not be such q vim
dication as they demand. Executive
Intervention upon the grounds insisted
upon by the four above named persons
could in no proper sense be deemed
an exercise of the constitutional
power to grant reprieveS, communications
and pardons, unless based upon the
belief on my part of their entire limo
cence of the crime of which they stand
convicted. A careful consideration of
the evidence in the record of the trial
of the parties, as we'll as of all alleged
and claimed for them outside of the
record, has failed to produce upon my
mind any impression tending to i'm
peach the verdict of the jury or the
preme court affirming of the guilt of all
these parties. Satisfied, therefore, as
l am of their guilt, am precluded
from considering the question
of Communication of the sentences of
Albert r. Parsons, Adolph Fischer,
George Engel and Louis Lingg to i'm
prisonment in the penitentiary, as they
emphatically declare they viii not &C
cept such communication. Samuel
Flelden, Michael Schwab and August
Spies unite in a petition for executive
clemency. Fielden and Schwab in addi-
tion present separate and supple
mentary petitions for the Communication
of their sentences, While, as said
above, am satisfied of the guilt of all
the parties as found by the verdict of
the jury, which was sustained by the
judgments of the courts,
most careful consideration of
the whole subject leads me to the
conclusion that the sentence of the
law as to Samuel Fielding and Michael
Schwab may be modified, as to each Of
them in the interest of humanity, and
without doing violence to public JUS
tice. And as to the said Samuel Field
en- and Michael Schwab the sentence is
committed to Imprisonment in the PEN
itentiary for life. AS to all the other
named defendants l do no feel justi-
fed in interfering with the sentence of
the court. While would gladly have
come to different conclusion in re-
gard to the sentence of defendants
August Spies, Adolph Fischer, George
Engel, Albert r. Parsons and Louis
Lingg, regret to say that under the
solemn obligations of my Office, have
been unable to do so.
[Signed.l RICHARD OeLEsBY,
Gouorn0r